1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to temperature-controlled reaction containers and somewhat more particularly to a reaction housing useful in a quantitative analysis device wherein organic materials in a water sample are oxidized with a potassium dichromate solution and comprising a temperature-controlled reaction container having inlets, outlets, and agitator means for such oxidation reaction.
2. Prior Art
In determining the amount of water-immiscible solid organic materials in a water source, such as a sewage water source, a defined amount of various reagents, such as sulfuric acid and silver sulfate are admixed with a defined water sample in order to prepare such sample for analysis. Thereafter, the prepared sample is reacted with a K.sub.2 Cr.sub.2 O.sub.7 -solution under time-temperature conditions sufficient to oxidize the organic materials in the sample, i.e., by the oxygen released during reduction of Cr.sup.+6 -ions into Cr.sup.+3 -ions. The residual amount of Cr.sup.+6 -ions in the spent reaction mixture is then determined by titrating such mixture with a Fe.sup.+2 -ion containing solution. The consumed amount of Fe.sup.+2 -ion containing solution in such titration provides an indirect indication of the amount of organic material in the water sample under analysis.
In order to carry out the various reaction in this analysis scheme, various embodiments of reaction containers are known in chemical technology. In laboratory procedures, it is conventional to use containers formed of so-called "heat-proof" glass. In order to accomplish the physical and chemical requirements of the foregoing analysis scheme, a system is typically erected comprising of individual sections, which are connected to one another via fluid-flow lines and the like. Typically, the implementation of this analysis scheme occurs in a labroatory set-up and the system for carrying out such scheme is set up on stands on laboratory tables. However, such an arrangement takes up too much space for an analysis device which preferably functions automatically and is not suitable for an analysis automaton.